Breastfeeding as a carbon reduction tool

Each year, the first week of August marks World’s Breastfeeding Week. This event aims to highlight the significant benefits that breastfeeding brings to both the health and welfare of babies and mothers, as well as its contribution to nutrition, poverty reduction and food security. This year, the focus is on the well-being outcomes of supporting families to breast/chest feed for as long as they choose. In this spirit, I want to draw attention to the environmental benefits of breast/chestfeeding and to call for more investment to support families who choose to do so.

I breastfed my children for a total of four years, amounting to over 5,000 hours. Personally, breastfeeding offered me numerous benefits; it eliminated the need for sanitising bottles or preparing formula, especially during night feeds. I also made going out easier. Despite the challenges, particularly with a premature baby, I enjoyed the experience and found mental health benefits in bonding with my children, but also in a world that is constantly accelerating, I was able to pause and be in the moment. I also found a great network of peer supporters, and through this journey, I also became a peer supporter, volunteering to help other families. These experiences were eye-opening. I was seeing first-hand the gaps in support. Hospitals struggle to provide support to families, especially in the neonatal intensive care units; there is little to no support in the community where families rely on volunteers like myself to continue breast/chestfeeding for as long as they wish. 

We are facing multiple crises, including the cost of living and energy crises, which have hit families hard. Some argue that these crises may push people and authorities towards cheaper, less environmentally friendly resources and policies. However, I advocate for comprehensive, multi-targeted solutions that address multiple issues simultaneously, offering greater benefits for both people and the planet. 

Thus, I want to lay out the potential contributions of breast/chestfeeding compared to formula feeding to reduce waste, energy consumption and carbon emissions. 

Economic and health benefits

The rising formula prices, exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, place additional strains on families. For families who cannot breast/chestfeed, the financial burden can be substantial, especially for those on benefits, who, according to a 2023 report by the Food Foundation, struggle to afford infant formula with their Healthy Start allowance alone. These families are faced with difficult decisions about feeding their babies and having to skip meals themselves to be able to afford formula. Meanwhile, beast/chestfeeding can save families around £450 annually, as each tin of formula milk costs between £9.39 to £15.95 

In addition, the scarcity of NHS resources has led to questions about the extent of investment In promoting breast/chestfeeding. However, it is important to address the fact that better infant and maternal health from breastfeeding leads to lower medical costs by reducing GP visits, hospital costs, prescription drugs, and medical resources in general.

A report commissioned by UNICEF UK, “Preventing disease and saving resources: the potential contribution of increasing breastfeeding rates in the UK” highlights that breastfeeding reduces the risk of childhood obesity, gastroenteritis, respiratory infections, and ear infections, and lowers the risk of breast cancer for mothers. These health benefits translate into potential annual NHS savings of around £40 million, with the true cost savings likely much higher.

How breast/chestfeeding-friendly policies can contribute to reducing waste, energy use, and carbon emissions? 

Breast/chestfeeding contributes minimally to carbon emissions compared to the energy-intensive processes associated with formula production, including manufacturing, packaging, and transportation. As put by UNICEF UK’s Baby Friendly Initiative, breastmilk requires no packaging, shipping or disposal and has a negligible water footprint, reducing pollution and conserving resources. 

Research from Imperial College London estimates that breastfeeding for six months can save an estimated 95-153 kg CO2 equivalent per baby compared with formula feeding. This saving is equivalent to taking between 50,000 and 77,500 cars off the road each year in the UK alone.  Additionally, powdered infant formula needs water that has been heated to at least 70°C to be consumed safely, which is the equivalent of charging 200 million smartphones each year.

Experts from various institutions, including the Australian National University and the World Health Organisation, have corroborated these findings, noting that one kilogram of commercial milk formula generates around 11–14 kilograms of greenhouse gases and uses more than 5,000 litres of water during its life cycle. In contrast, breastfeeding’s environmental impact is minimal, yet 21.9 billion litres of human milk are invisible in GDP annually because governments fail to invest in supporting breast/chestfeeding.

Essential support for families: What needs to be done

This discussion is not meant to shame mothers and parents who do not breastfeed for any reason, but rather to highlight some of the benefits of investing in mothers' and babies' health. Supporting families in breast/chestfeeding can go a long way with benefits far exceeding socioeconomic ones. Local governments should invest in comprehensive support services, particularly in the most deprived areas. This includes proper funding for family hubs and children’s centres; providing adequate training to staff and other healthcare workers who are in contact with families who would like to take on breast/chestfeeding; increasing the number of health visitors, and strengthening protections for public breast/chestfeeding.

Moreover, national policies should encourage more and better paid parental leave as well as flexible working arrangements, allowing parents the necessary conditions to breast/chestfeed for as long as they wish.

Supporting breast/chestfeeding offers a wealth of benefits for families and societies at large, from economic savings to improved public health and environmental sustainability. By implementing holistic measures, we can support all people and the planet, create a fairer community, and provide the best possible start for our children. By focusing only on the scarcity of resources we may overlook options with broader benefits.